For about a week, assassination rumors have been swirling around the Chinese capital. According to reports carried in Hong Kong outlets such as Mingjing News, Zhou Yongkang has been detained for involvement in a plot to kill Xi Jinping, the newish ruler of China. Since then, various sites, especially the U.S.-based Boxun News, have carried articles relaying murderous activities attributed to Zhou, who was the countryâ€™s internal security czar until November 2012.

Zhou, 71, has also been accused of using two members of the Peopleâ€™s Armed Police â€” once under his command â€” to kill his ex-wife. His two drivers reportedly confessed to their role in the murder and were given terms of 15 to 20 years in prison. According to news articles, they were released after serving just three and four years and given jobs in the state-run petroleum industry, which at the time was controlled by Zhou and his political allies.

These various reports, widely circulated, remain unconfirmed, although it is clear the once mighty Zhou is in political trouble of some sort. In November, state media reported that he offered condolences to the family of an educator, an indication that he was still in good standing in the Party. Nonetheless, it is curious that Zhou has dropped out of view. He was last seen in public on October 1, at the National Day celebrations of the China University of Petroleum.

The top 50 leaders in the Chinese Communist Party, are worth a collective $94 Billion. You don't get that rich on government pay unless you are completely corrupt. So every time you see these accusations of corruption, it is just a political power play. Zhou controls the state-run petroleum industry, which is a cash cow that more powerful politicians want to milk.

Yet there are even better historical comparisons. â€œHeâ€™s a lot like those of the ruthless era of ancient Chinese palace politics,â€ said Zhu Jianguo, a Shenzhen-based political commentator. Beijing today has the feel of a century ago, the late Qing dynasty. From Chinaâ€™s last imperial period, the country is now coming full circle. After a brief period of apparent stability, we are, in the next weeks and months, bound to hear of more end-of-dynasty intrigue.